End of Camp K

The last two weeks were difficult and amazing.

Week 4: Back to being a regular camp counselor! I really missed it last week, a lot.  I had two girl campers, both with autism this week, H and S.  Both of my girls were beautiful and affectionate, lots of hugs from them.  Also both were very homesick, a new challenge for me.  Another new challenge was the amount of runners and wanderers in our group, H being the biggest runner of them all.  I developed a twitch in my neck from constantly looking around to see where she went.  H would not stay still at an activity for more than 2 minutes, but I always got her to participate at least a little bit.  The first night she did not sleep at all and spent the hours howling at the moon and screaming and kicking the walls.  Just a slight taste to what happens quite frequently at Camp K.  Counselors were running all over the place chasing campers this week, so we got our exercise for sure!  I made a habit of standing and eating behind my camper’s chair so that when she tried to get up and run I could just push her chair back in before she could escape.  It was a challenge but a good one,  her sense of imagination and adventure rival that of anyone I’ve met, and S’s smile is quite possibly the most beautiful showing of teeth on earth.  Hard moment: getting spat at, kicked, scratched, hit and spat at again all before 8am after a night of cabin duty with the boys. 

Week 5: Well I commend you if you have made it this far in the blog posts on Camp K, I’ve rambled on a little bit but I find it difficult to limit myself when I think about my campers.  Week 5, however, was the most impactful and eye-opening week for me.  I think it was also the most challenging and most rewarding week.  My three campers were very diverse an all in their mid-20s, one (Am) had severe CP and was immobile.  She could barely move her fingers or lift her head so she required full assistance in feeding, medication, showering, diapering, dressing, everything.  Am had the most beautiful spirit at camp, always encouraging counselors and other campers and being extraordinarily sweet to everyone-her heart was so big.  She definitely enjoyed talking.  My second camper, “As” was profoundly deaf and totally blind.  We communicated through sign language into her hand and hand over hand teaching of how to do the activities.  She only needed minimal assistance and was always attached to my arm-watching her figure things out was fascinating.  L was my third camper and was very independent and a social butterfly, she had epilepsy.   I don’t think I’ve ever felt as needed as I did this week, especially for As and Am, they were completely reliant on me for everything.  For much of the week my mind was running at a million miles a minute, constantly thinking of how I could adapt the activities for my girls so they could still enjoy their experience.  This involved me imagining my life without the senses of sight or hearing, imagining my life without gross or fine motor function. Think about it for a minute-its nuts!  I only thought about these things for a week, but this is something they will live with for the rest of their lives! Near the beginning of the week I was pushing Am’s wheelchair with As on my arm as we were going between activities-as we did so many times that week.  Am, being the compassionate soul that she is, was asking questions about As, “She really can’t see anything? She really cant hear anything? She really can’t talk?” to which I reply, “Yes, she has never heard a sound or seen a color, she doesn’t experience the world as we do, she experiences it through mainly touch and smell”  We are silent for a moment, then Am lifts her head up as much as she can so that she can look up at me and As as she says, “I feel so sorry for her! I am so glad I can see and hear! I am so blessed to be able speak and listen and see!” There is nothing more humbling than hearing these words from a girl who is completely immobilized by her disability and listening to her sincere empathy for her fellow camper and friend.  What right do I have to complain about being tired or having a headache?  I can walk, see, hear, feed myself, shower myself, use the bathroom, I can run, bike, hike, I can travel independently and live independently.  We cannot take these things for granted.  These two became fast friends, As always feeling for Am’s wheelchair, Am constantly encouraging As even though she knew she couldn’t hear her.  These two young woman taught me to view the world in a completely different way, which ties in the Helen Keller quote appropriately “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart” As and Am taught me to feel with my heart in a way I never had before, and it was incredible-they shall forever remain in my heart.

Camp Kostopulos is an incredible organization that takes people who have been told “they can’t" their whole lives, and tells them they can.  I feel honored to have been a part of this organization.  This was the hardest project for me to leave.  I still miss Camp K.

Camp K Weeks 1-3

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart” –Helen Keller

This is a quote that I’ve always liked, but never really understood until I spent some time at Camp Kostopulos .  Campers at Camp K affected me in ways I never imagined possible.

Each week we would work with a different population of campers, week 1: adults with cognitive disabilities, week 2: teens with cognitive disabilities, week 3: children and teens with physical disabilities, week 4: children with cognitive disabilities, week 5: adults with cognitive, week 6 teens with cognitive.  Each week would bring different challenges, obstacles, joys, tears and laughter. 

Week 1: I had three girl campers, 2 girls who had Downs syndrome (Ke and Ni) and one girl who was deaf with moderate mental impairment (Ka).  They were beautiful campers, SO much fun to work with.  I really enjoyed the challenge of getting to use the sign language I learned in college.  The best moment during this week was encouraging Ka on the high ropes course, signing to her encouragement and explaining how to complete each element by acting it out on the ground.  Her shrieks of joy at her accomplishment once she had finished were met with my ASL applause of shaking my hands in the air above my head and giving her a big Camp K side hug (no front hugs at Camp K). 

Week 2: I had three campers: two boys, one with Williams syndrome (C) and one with PTSD (R) and one girl with Downs (W).  This was the week with teenagers which means this was a week with lots of hormones and love.  Each of my three campers had love interests at camp, I felt like I was a mamma watching each of them to make sure they wouldn’t sneak off into the woods.  I did a little counseling when C’s girl was flirting with other boys, I was given appreciation for not poking fun at R’s romance like other counselors were, and was constantly watching W because her mother gave me MANY warnings about her behaviors with a boy in a different group who had gotten too physical last year at camp. 

Week 3: This was a different kind of week for us in AmeriCorps.  There were much fewer campers this week so we weren’t assigned any campers actually, just a group to help out.  Additionally we would be doing grounds and maintenance work at least 2 days during the week.  My group only had a total of 7 campers when normally group size is right around 15.  Another unique thing about this physical disabilities week was that the majority of campers were in wheelchairs.  I had a lot of really great conversations with campers this week about how nice it was to be at a place where everyone was like them, in an environment where they weren’t seen as the “different” kid or as a “disabled” and not being able to do certain things.  At Camp K everyone was equal, at Camp K you can do everything.  Even for sports and games Camp K had brought in basketball and rugby wheelchairs (which are SWEET!) Everyone, even kids who could walk, even counselors, got in the wheelchairs to play.  Everyone on even playing ground.  It was powerful.  Best moment: watching friendships develop between three girls in our group.  Worst moment: missing out on high ropes because I was pulling weeds.

Welcome to Camp Kostopulos! My name is Africa.

Week one of training has finished and I can confidently say that I can belay campers and run the high ropes courses.  The majority of the week was spent practicing and climbing all over the ropes courses, rock walls and zip line-it was so much fun!  I should back up a little first. 

Silver 3 left Sacramento May 21 and drove Kuna all day until we arrived at a little hotel on the border of Nevada and Utah, where we spent the night before leaving early the next morning to get to Camp K in time for training.  The first day was filled with team building and ice-breakers, getting to learn names and all sorts of fun activities.  Our team was quite exhausted by the end of the night having been traveling and up awake from 5am two mornings in a row.

 We have meshed well with the other counselors and are trying not to be too exclusive, as our team is used to being a close knit family working and living only with each other.  It’s helpful that the other counselors have similar passions for service.

Memorial Day weekend has been very relaxing; I got a chance to explore Salt Lake City a bit with some of my teammates.  The Mormon Temple was stunning, and although we could not enter it, there were two visitors centers and the park and the tabernacle choir amphitheater. Chilled at a coffee shop to get some internet and just walked around downtown.  Its beautiful here, I’m hoping to go for a bike ride later today........

BECAUSE I SHIPPED MY BIKE HERE!!! THAT’S RIGHT I HAVE MY BIKE HERE WITH ME IN UTAH.  The road that camp is on, Emigration Canyon Road, is actually one of the top 10 bike rides in Salt Lake City, there are hundreds of cyclists that zoom by every day.  I love it.

This next week is more training and then the next week we get campers! It will be challenging no doubt, being a camp counselor from 7am to 9pm every day for children with mental and physical disabilities, but absolutely worth it.  Its funny how I’ve wanted to work at a summer camp for years but have never gotten the chance, and now in my AmeriCorps NCCC year my last placement is at a summer camp for children with disabilities. 

(From the pre-site check list)

“Since 1967 the Kostopulos Dream Foundation has been dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities through the medium of recreation and leisure education. Their longest running program, Camp Kostopulos, accredited by the American Camp Association, is a residential summer camp where kids, teens, and adults with disabilities are able to choose from two options a five day residential camp or travel trips.

Campers enjoy fishing, horse riding, swimming, camp outs, sing songs, create arts and craft projects, challenge themselves on the ropes course, make new friends, and renew old friendships.”

The mission statement of the Kostopulos Dream Foundation is:

To improve the quality of life of individuals with disabilities through recreation and education experiences

Also, all the counselors need camp names.  Examples from my team include Pickles, Ziggy and Hobbs. My camp name given to me was Africa, by Marianne or “Elm” from my team.  So Africa I shall be for the remainder of the summer.

love and miss you all

k

Idaho: rocks, mountains, sage, fences, BEAUTY

I successfully completed another round, this one with zero blog posts! I’m disappointed in myself to say the least.  However, I have a feeling that those who read my blogs are used to this behavior from me having followed my Bike & Build and South Africa blogs where similar lapses in posts occurred.

Idaho was phenomenal, even better than I could have imagined.  Having done Bike & Build two years ago and having biked across Idaho, I knew how stunning of a state it is and was ecstatic to spend more time there in AmeriCorps.  The drive there was quite eventful, filled with snow and ice, chains on and off Kuna’s tires, mountains, and a full 12 hours of driving.   We ended up spending our first night in Boise in a hotel because the propane for our campers wasn’t set up quite yet.  In the morning we were greeted with a snowstorm, the last snowfall we would experience in Boise. 

Orientation at the Boise River Wildlife Management Area  (WMA) was excellent and we met Ed and Krista, our supervisors along with Michael, our sponsor. While at the Boise River WMA we did many thing to restore the natural habitat for mule deer and elk.  This included planting sage brush and bitterbrush, taking down barbed wire fences, installing H-brace fencing, and clearing debris in addition to various tasks around the office itself (making it fire safe and building new gate and fence).  Krista and Ed were really incredible about service learning and educated us on invasive and native species.  They really cared that we knew the reason for why we were doing the things we were for the WMA and the true impact we were having on the wildlife. 

Boise was tons of fun; it’s really clean, filled with BIKES, lots of good food and drink, the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, and great people. I could picture myself living in Boise for a while at some point in my life. 

 We had a “spring break” long weekend so a couple of teammates and I rented a car and drove to Stanley, ID (where I spent my 21^st birthday while on Bike & Build)!  It is very cold in Stanley this time of year, but still beautiful.  We also drove to Ketchem, Craters of the moon and then back to Stanley driving our bike route through Arco and Challis.  We went to the same pizza place (Antonios) in Challis, the same hotsprings as my birthday (plus two more!) tried to go to the same cafe as the day after my birthday but alas it is only open in the summer. It was a lovely road trip. It was fun to see my friends see what I was talking about with the diversity in Idaho's geography and hear them ask "you really biked this?!?!"

Time went too quickly and soon Silver 3 had to pack up and move to the second half of this spike which was at Cecil Andrus Wildlife Management Area which was up north west of Boise about 2 hours, just outside of the tiny town of Cambridge, ID.  It was stunningly beautiful.  Within the first week of being there the landscape exploded with wildflowers and green grass.  Small yellow sunflowers (actually called Arrow Leaf Balsam Root) covered every hillside.  We got to work in this beautiful atmosphere. 

One particular project we had had to travel into the depths of wilderness about 45 minutes down a dirt road through the WMA in the Idaho Dept of Fish and Game trucks because Kuna certainly couldn’t handle those roads or crossing three streams.  Along the drive we saw black bears! Two times!  I feel so incredibly blessed to have seen and experienced all this wildlife.  Also I can confidently say that I know how to build h-brace and barbed wire fences, so if we are ever in the same area and you happen to need a barbed wire fence, you know who to call!  Anna and Ross were our sponsors and were just as passionate about service learning as Krista and Ed.  Learning about insects and scat certainly enhanced our experience with them (as did receiving elk, venison, dried apples, pears, apricots, apple butter, apricot preserves, choke cherry syrup, spinach, and water cress, all coming from Andrus WMA land!)

Other fun things we did while at Andrus include taking Ellen’s rental car (a convertible no less!) to the Oregon trail interpretive center, going camping, volunteering at an ultra marathon (50K!), hiking and a Cinco de Mayo party!

Round three was definitely my favorite so far.  But we shall see. Sad to leave as always.  Every spike we develop these relationships with sponsors and then leave.  It doesn’t get easier, but it’s worth it.

Adios Coachella!

Half-way done

Wow. Round 2 is done and over. We said our goodbyes to Coachella Valley last week Thursday and left early Friday morning.

This time “Goodbye” was harder than Round 1 I believe. We had three more weeks than last round to invest ourselves in our service, they people we worked for and with, and to become a part of the community. By living in Mecca, working in Coachella and enjoying Indio, our team really connected ourselves to Coachella Valley. We sought out opportunities for extra service projects on weekends at homeless shelters, a pet rescue center, and the historical society. We studied Spanish weekly and used it daily on the construction site, at the after school programs, with our neighbors and at the grocery store. From the start of our project to the end our team vastly improved in their Spanish language ability, construction expertise, leadership, and familiarity with children.

I would love to share just a few moments of why Coachella was so special to me:

Waking up was HARD. No one can be really happy about waking up before the hour of 5am has hit for physical training, however…the benefits far outweighed the discomfort. Running under the stars and moon before the rest of the world is awake is exhilarating. After eating some breakfast and dressing for work, tying up my steel toed boots and praying that my shoe-laces hold one more day, we walk to the van. Everyone walks slowly with their head turned to the east, for at this exact moment the sun is starting to rise over the mountains. When we first started in Coachella, the sun wouldn’t emerge until we arrived at the construction site, but the sun rise was still magnificent. By our last week the sun was already greeting us above the mountains as we entered Kuna (our van). The pinks, purples, oranges all painted in a vast array, the mountains completely surrounding us constantly changing depending on how the sun hit them, the fields of date palm trees we passed on our way to work; all these things combined to create the most stunning sunrise I could imagine. EVERY MORNING. These are good things about waking up early.

Once our safety talk and stretch circle are complete, we get to work! I particularly loved the mornings on the roofs. It consisted of a perfect view of the sunrise, and the adrenaline rush of being high than humans normally are. At least one to two mornings a week there would be a special treat for us in the sky: Hot Air Balloons! Some days just one or two, and some days there were 10 or more colorful hot air balloons floating in front of the mountains, landing on the soccer field next to our build site! Life didn’t seem real, it was too beautiful. But then there would be another tile to lay or hammer and we continued on with the work.

There were a few special moments when we were able to work with the families whose homes we were building. The stories they told and the appreciation in their voices really brought meaning to the work we were doing. One Saturday we all had a Carne Asada (barbeque) together! Everyone brought something (I baked cookies) and we ate and talked and shared about what our program was about.

Another thing I liked about Coachella: SIESTA!! No further explanation necessary.

About once a week our neighbors, who are migrant farm workers farming in the area, would bring us food! Red, yellow, green bell peppers! Dates! Avocados! Strawberries! They know what we are doing and want to show their support in any way they can. We come from different backgrounds and languages, but we are neighbors who care for each other, and that is the only thing that really matters. I absolutely loved every time I was walking and ended up having a (very broken) conversation in Spanish, but still being able to communicate.

My favorite moments, at no surprise to those of you who know me, were spent with the children at the after school programs. Struggling through homework problems and seeing a child’s eyes light up when they finally get it. Playing hang-man and having the phrase be “You’re the best teacher” and “I will miss you so much”. Playing “teacher: and having a 6^th grader re-teach me long division. Piggy Back rides. A new game called “Banana Split”. Playing cops and robbers. Having many many pictures drawn for me to put on my wall. Getting a knock on the door while making dinner to see a group of young boys standing awkwardly to give me another picture. Each and every one of these moments with the kids was special to me. They also made is especially hard when the time came to say goodbye. The question I ALWAYS dread, every single time I leave children who I’ve grown to love, children I’ve invested energy and compassion and care into, they ask me “When are you coming back?” I’m reminded of all the kids I’ve had to say goodbye to: the kids I tutored in when I was in high school, my neighbors, my little brother, children from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Mexico, and South Africa. Realistically, I probably wont come back here, and if I do these children will probably be gone. Its easier when I have an answer, I could tell my neighbors and little brother “I’ll be back the end of next summer! I’ll see you all then!” But to these children I couldn’t give a happy answer. “Maybe I’ll come back someday, but probably not?” What kind of answer is that?

Saying goodbye to our construction supervisors was just as hard. They had become like family to us, and taught us so very much about their culture, in addition to construction and Spanish skills.

Whenever I or any of my fellow teammates speak on Coachella, we inadvertently place our hand over our hearts. I know for me I have found yet another home. (Except don't expect me to ever be there in the summer, temperatures average around 120 degrees!!)

I'll leave you with a few more pictures:

Date shakes and dead fish

Hello from a very sunny and warm Coachella Valley! It is absolutley beautiful here. Palm trees, mountains, sunshine, warmth, friendly people, good food, lovely culture. I think the sun has put me in a good mood :)

This being said, I am VERY busy, and we have limited internet. As Assistant Team Leader I have quite a few more responsibilities that take up more time, and I'm very greatful for this experience in leadership and paperwork. Hopefully it will prepare me for another leadership opportunity in the future!

We are being housed in Mecca, the office for the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) is in Indio, and we build houses in Coachella. Everything is about 15-20 minutes away from each other. Our sponsors are great and we were welcomed the day after our drive (11 hours) with an orientaion complete with endless burritos! That next day we got right to work.

Work schedule is as follows:

Tues-Friday
5am Physical training
6:30am leave for the build site
6:50am safety and stretch circle
7:00am begin work (this can be ANYTHING, we are currently working between 25 houses)
9:30am water break
11:00am leave for SIESTA!!!
11:30-1:30pm: SIESTA!! nap, sit in the sun and read, do paper work, eat, nap etc
1:30pm leave housing to return to build site
2:00pm-6pm: four team members go tutor at two afterschool programs (two to each), this schedule roatates so everyone gets a turn.
6:00pm: work day ends
7:00pm: team dinner
8:00pm: various team meetings
9:00pm: extra PT ("Insanity"?! why am i doing this??)
10:00pm: paperwork
11:00pm: sleep

Saturday
6:30am-3pm work on the build site
3:30: hike for PT (there are SO MANY beautiful hikes in this area!!)

Sunday/Monday=weekend

So I'm kept pretty busy, but its fun. It was nice to know that I still remember to hammer from Habitat for Humanity, how to use a power screw driver a skill saw. Improving these skills has been good and frustrating at the same time. I really do enjoy construction work, and knowing that I am helping to provide someone with a home. This week was my week for one of the after school programs, which I LOVED!! I had missed children so much! Can't wait to keep learning and serving!

OH this area is known for its Dates ( the fruit) and also the Salton Sea (which is filled with dead fish and smells so bad a team member vomited once inhaling the air)

Buenos Dias!!

As I sit in my room, I am happy to be still for a moment. It feels as if I have been moving and traveling for quite some time. This is something I do indeed enjoy, but sometimes sitting is nice as well.

Our time in Grass Valley, CA sadly came to an end on December 16. It was hard to leave our fire station behind and harder yet to say goodbye to our sponsor and supervisor Joanne and Todd. We learned so very much from them, about fire safety, wild fire mitigation, trees, chainsaws, life and so much more. Todd might be one of the very best teachers I’ve ever learned from. In fact, Todd and Joanne cared so much about us they are our new team guardians for this next round! We have already received letters and packages with advice, games, cookies and a deer puppet from them!!

***Side note, if anyone is interested in being our team guardian for rounds 3 or 4 don’t hesitate to ask!***

A few quantifiables from our first spike:

• 430 cubic yards of scotchbroom removed
• 3 acres long, 50 ft wide fuel break: 1043 cubic yards of brush removed, 16 homes protected
• 14 Special Needs Assistance Program clients

• Worked in 29 Locations
• 38 acres of Defensible Space
• 326 cubic yards of Blackberry
• 3258 cubic yards for chipping
• 379 cubic yards of dispersed materials
• 210 pounds of leaves
• 175 cubic yards of brush stacked in 27 piles
• 27 piles burned, 25 left for future burning
• 1,400 scanned papers electronically
• 275 packets prepped for the community

3 News paper articles

1 radio broadcast

3 school presentations

It is incredible how much a small group like us, with little to no experience in fuels reduction, were able to accomplish. We were able to meet and exceed the goals set before us by the Fire Safe Counsel of Nevada County, in spite of NOT being a FMT (Fire Management Team), and NOT being there the extra week they expected. I am very proud of our team and everything we have done and learned. I’m proud of how close we became and how we all survived sharing one room and one bathroom! Silver 3 is pretty much the best team.

After we returned to Sacramento from Grass Valley we had a few days of meetings and transition activities. Seeing old friends from pre-spike and sharing and exchanging stories was a very welcome change of pace. Everyone’s experiences differed greatly, in both good and bad ways. Lets just say I’m very grateful for the team I have and the wonderful first sponsor we served with.

Then came Winter Break!!!! I was able to come home and also travel a little bit to a few reunions. Here is my list of travels : Sacramento > Chicago> Grand Haven>Mt Pleasant>Grand Rapids> South Bend>Chicago>Denver>Sacramento. SO MANY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!

I wish I could have spent more time in each place and seen more friends and family, but alas, my break was only two weeks. My family, neighbors, college friends, South Africa family and Bike & Build family rejuvenated my soul and I feel very ready for the next seven months of service.

Back on campus we have more meetings, trainings and preparations for our next spike project! I also got accepted for the Assistant Team Leader position for the first 4.5 weeks of Round 2. This means a bit more responsibility, leadership opportunities and paperwork! I’m excited to challenge myself and add to the efficiency of our team (hopefully!)

January 9^th is when we leave for Coachella Valley, where our next spike is located. That’s right, we will be in Southern California, in the desert! Yet another winter evaded in the life of Kristen (last year I only got part of Michigan’s winter before going to South African summer) J Our sponsor is the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, which is an affordable housing organization for migrant workers. Additionally we will be tutoring children at two different schools. Building houses and education kids!! In a warm place surrounded by mountains!!! Sounds good to me. This next project will be our longest at 9 weeks in length and I’m getting antsy to get out there. Our team has an advantage with several corps members moderately proficient in Spanish, several with construction experience, and a few with tutoring experience.

My new mailing address will be:

Coachella Valley Housing Coalition

Kristen Dyke AmeriCorps NCCC

45-701 Monroe Street, Suite G

Indio, CA 92201

But mail sent to our base in Sacramento will still get forwarded on to me as well. I love mail!!

I’ll update again once more work has begun, excited for siestas and fiestas!!